Tissue & Me

In my area of the United States, on August 30, 2023, Hurricane Idalia struck with a vengeance. Although this has been one of the worst storms that we have endured in a few years, a few people in the area in which I live have forgotten about the recent aftermath of Hurricane Irma in 2017. In 2017, my family was without power for over five days and schools were closed for a week. This seems to be happening all over again but with extensive damage. Thousands of people are/were understandably upset and some, downright livid because electricity had not been restored in a timely manner that accommodated them after Idalia moved on.

I live in a very rural area. When I step out of my front door, I’m 20 feet or less from a tree line. When I step out my back door, fields and trees are within reach of my feet as well, so my family was again impacted by this force of nature. The gnarly huffs and puffs of the upset Miss Hurricaness broke a tree in our yard, pulling the power lines of our home and another home down. Great. No power for a week. I shrugged my shoulders and brushed it off because the memories and experiences from Hurricane Irma were still fresh in my mind so I knew what to expect, but don’t get me wrong, I was just as mad and displeased about the length of time it took to restore power but I wasn’t ugly or disrespectful towards the working linemen and women who have their protocols in place. I’m sure the workers who traveled from their home states were just as on edge by the pressures of their jobs and missing their families.

Things to remember:
The electric companies have their rules and regulations. As badly as we wanted them to cater to us first, they had to follow their commands and assess the damages within the various communities.

Yes, we were warned before the devastation. But think of those who are on fixed incomes, live check to check, have no family or family that lives near them, the elderly, and those who do not have internet services to know where shelters and supplies will be provided.

Someone had it worse than you.